Vietnam man found alive after one week lost in forestTuoi Tre News, 3 November A 26-year-old man in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong was found weak but alive after spending a week lost in a local forest.Nguyen Quang Loc was suffering from extreme exhaustion, when a search team found him, clothing torn off and body lacerated, inside the forest in Di Linh District.The man was immediately rushed to the province’s general hospital for emergency treatment, according to Di Linh police.On October 27, Loc and two friends entered the forest to chop bamboo. When night fell and Loc still had not returned to the group’s tent, his friends notified police of the disappearance.

Electric tourist car to be piloted in Hoi An Ancient TownTuoi Tre News, 13 NovemberA type of electric tourist car has been set to be piloted in Hoi An Ancient Town, a popular destination in the south-central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam, next year.The tourist cars will be provided with their own pick-up and drop-off points and park at local parking lots to ensure traffic safety and order.Operation hours are expected to be between 6:00 am and 10:00 pm, with each stop at pick-up and drop-off locations lasting a maximum of two minutes.

Vietnam destroys rhino horns and elephant ivoryTuoi Tre News, 14 NovemberVietnam destroyed nearly 2.2 tons of seized elephant ivory and 70 kg of rhino horns on Saturday, in one of its strongest moves yet to stop illegal wildlife trafficking.The specimens, estimated to be worth more than $7 million on the black market, came from about 330 African elephants and 23 rhinos, said UK-based Humane Society International, which has been working with the Vietnamese government since 2013 to reduce demand for rhino horn in the country.Vietnam is a transit point for elephant ivory for consumers in mostly China and the United States to make jewelry and home decorations, while the Southeast Asian nation is a major consumer of rhino horn.The usage and trading of rhino horn is a criminal offense in Vietnam, but demand is strong due to a long-held belief in rhino horn's medical power as an elixir, especially among the country's growing middle and upper classes.

Bears rescued from farms English VNExpress, 12 November Animal welfare charity Animals Asia on Friday successfully rescued four moon bears from three bear bile farms in the Central Highlands province of Pleiku, ending years of mistreatment for the weakened animals.The organization said that five years ago, they got information about the animals but at that time, their owners didn’t want to hand over the bears to the rescue center. Under constant pressure from the local Forestry Department, the four bears, two males and two females, have finally been released.Animals Asia said that after more than a decade being held in captivity, the bears have showed signs of depression and suffered physical pains. Their teeth are shattered and infected from desperate attempts to chew through the iron bars. One of the bears has lost a paw and has an abnormal tumor.On Saturday, the bears will be going on a 1,200-kilometer journey to reach a bear rescue center in Tam Dao National Park, where 155 other peers are waiting for them.

Taking a snooze in Saigon airport's new sleeping zoneEnglish VNExpress, 13 NovemberPassengers no longer have to sit on the floor waiting for their flights as the international terminal of Tan Son Nhat airport has been recently expanded its waiting area with a 100-square-meter sleeping zone.The zone is equipped with long wooden chairs and 20 sleeping loungers that anyone can use for free.Those who need more privacy can pay $7 an hour to use one of ten mini sleeping rooms. The rooms have alarm systems so that users do not miss their flights. Each sleeping room is four square meters and can accommodate an adult and a child under seven years old. Drinking water and cold towels are part of the package.The airport has also opened a kids' zone of 40 square meters with slides. The new facilities were opened on October 26 after the Airports Corporation of Vietnam spent VND1.5 trillion ($67.2 million) on the first phase of the terminal’s expansion.

City to launch three electronic-bus routesViet Nam News, 5 NovemberThree electronic-bus routes will soon be put into use in the HCM City centre, Phu My Hung urban area and along Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe Canal.The People’s Committee has agreed with the Transport Department to pilot the project, using several 12-seat electronic buses on short-distance routes from 5am to 10pm, to serve local residents and tourists.The first route will operate in District 1. There are 11 electronic buses on this route.The second route, which consists of five buses, will run in the Phu My Hung urban area in District 7.Three electronic buses will run along Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe Canal, starting from District 1’s Da Kao Ward and ending in District 3’s Ward 7.This is the first time HCM City has introduced the service. Electronic buses have been in use in big cities, including Ha Noi, Nha Trang, Hue and Da Nang, for years.